About two weeks ago, Representatives Walter Jones (R., N.C.) and Mo Brooks (R., Ala.), both skeptics of immigration reform, wrote a letter to House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.) and House leadership asking a series of questions about immigration-reform priorities. So far, according Brooks’s office, the response has been radio silence.
The letter asked a series of specific questions about what kind of changes Goodlatte and leadership would like to see in the level of new immigration, including how many green cards would be issued over the next 10 and 20 years, how many guest workers would be admitted over the next 10 years, and how many work permits would be issued to illegal immigrants. The representatives also asked what restrictions would be placed on future legal immigrants’ access to U.S. welfare programs.
“Many Americans incorrectly believe ‘immigration reform’ swaps amnesty for a reduced inflow of workers, rather than the current ‘amnesty’ models that combine amnesty with a large increase in future immigration flows,” the letter said.
Lawmakers skeptical about House Republican leadership’s moves on immigration reform consider these extremely important issues. In a statement, Brooks told NRO he’s frustrated with the silence from leadership.
“Our letter to House Leadership requests data necessary for an informed decision on amnesty for illegal aliens,” he says. “I’m disappointed the House Leadership proposes amnesty for illegal aliens yet is unable or unwilling to respond to our inquiry in a timely manner about the impact of their amnesty policies on hard-working American families and taxpayers. This is both unsatisfactory and unacceptable.”